A Hundred Years Ago, Two Sisters Crossed America On Indian Motorcycles

Commemorating the cross-continental journey of the Van Buren sisters, who rode from Brooklyn to San Francisco.

By
Blake Z. Rong

Augusta and Adeline Van Buren were 24 and 22 at the time, respectively, when they became one of the first people to cross America by motor vehicle. They were descended from eighth president Martin Van Buren, and trained in the ways of toughness: "The Van Burens flew airplanes, knew how to box, rode horses and raced them, ice skated, and even took part in an annual motorcycle race from New York to Poughkeepsie on New Year's Eve."

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And in the months before America entered World War I, they set out to prove that women too could make good motorcycle couriers, braving horrendous conditions and allowing men to focus on fighting. If they could survive two straight months of prewar America's primitive roads, what was a little extra bit of trench warfare?

So, like George Wyman and his journey, the sisters traversed 5,500 miles of danger. They left Brooklyn on July 4th atop a pair of 1000cc Indian motorcycles. They arrived in California on September 8th. The journey must have been easier—or harder, those of you who have siblings may attest—with two people instead of one, but it still wasn't easy. They faced tornadoes, floods, and snowstorms. They ran out of gas multiple times. In the desert 100 miles west of Salt Lake City, they ran out of water and got rescued by miners. They were the first people to reach the top of Pikes Peak by motorcycle. And they wore leather riding pants and military-style garb, which proved to be no small source of consternation among small-town policemen, four years before women were allowed to vote.

Despite all their effort, the Army rejected their application for motorcycle couriers. Newspapers derided them for wearing men's clothing, portrayed them as them housewives on vacation. When they got to San Francisco, unlike Wyman, nobody was there to greet them. Undeterred, the two rode on down to Tijuana.

This year, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the sisters' ride, BMW, Suzuki, and a newly-revitalized Indian Motorcycles are sponsoring a trek across America that closely mirrors the Van Burens' original route. This time, it'll only take three weeks.

The Sisters' Centennial Motorcycle Ride departs today, leaving from Brooklyn and heading briefly north to Springfield, Massachusetts, the ancestral home of Indian. From there, the journey traces the Lincoln Highway—America's first interstate roadway—and hits such notable points as the AMA Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio, the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum in Colorado, and Pikes Peak. Proceeds from the event will go to Final Salute, a charity that helps homeless female veterans, and the Women's Coalition of Motorcyclists.

In 2002, the Van Buren sisters were inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame, and a year later, they were inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame.

"If you see some of the pictures of them, they're just so happy. They're having so much fun," said Dan Ruderman, a grandson of Adeline, interviewed by the Associated Press. "And the shock of some of the men. You see guys standing on the side of the road looking at them with their hands on their hips, scowling, 'What is this that I'm seeing?'"